Brief Encounter
by lituska-silvermoon
Summary: PART III UPDATED!! How do you get over someone you've loved and lost? This is the question Aya ponders everyday...until a fleeting meeting at a concert changes everything... Pairing YxA ..with a twist ^_~...Updated with LEMON! ^_^
1. Part I

Title: Brief Encounter

Anime: Weiss Kreuz

Type: Crossover/Alternate Universe

Pairing: YohjixAya, YoshikixAya

Warnings: lemon (sex), swearing, character death.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz and all associated trademarks are copyrighted to Takehito Koyasu and the WK project. Comic Relief and all trademarks are copyrighted to their respective companies. X Japan and all trademarks are also copyrighted to their respective companies. 

I am only borrowing their persona's and characters which have nothing at all to do with their real lives ^_^ Flames will be hysterically laughed at and then launched into space.

Usually I wouldn't do this, having being burned once, but I am doing this as a favour to a friend who cant log on to my other sites where my stories are archived and wants to read this and prefers reading them this way so she can review rather than if I sent it to her O_o… no I don't get it either but since I love her here it is.

This is a 5 part story and bewarned this will get VERY lemony yaoi by the 3rd part. So if you don't like it…well the only advice I can give is look away ^_^.

One final note before I shut up ^_~ I originally wrote this story for charity and got donations from my Uni paper everytime I get a review. I am doing the same here, please review as Comic Relief will get a donation every time you do. It costs nothing and it for a good cause ^_^

Thanks a bunch readers… and so …on to the story! 

*****

'Now just hold still…'

As usual before a show, even one as small as this one, chaos reigned supreme backstage. Stage managers could be seen shouting intelligible instructions into sleek black headpieces while technicians ran around like headless chickens. Amidst all of this the band seemed almost untouched by all the turmoil with Heath and Pata quietly going over the night's song list in one corner while Toshi did some vocal exercises to warm up his voice in the other. Hide was still busy getting ready but Yoshi was already dressed and sitting patiently, letting his makeup artist even out his skin tone with a little foundation.

'Close,' she ordered, uncapping a tube of liquid eye shadow. Yoshi obediently did as he was told, closing his eyelids so she could draw a thin shimmery blue line just above his eyelashes, which she expertly blended into his skin using her little finger.

'Open and look up please,' she deftly applied a coat of lengthening mascara to his already dark lashes, darkening them further to give him a smooth sultry look.

Nearby Hide was busy running gel through his fuchsia coloured hair in an effort to make it spiky. Yoshi shot him a sidewise grin.

'Ne Hide, you know you still are the only person I know with enough poise to carry off those colours. What's more you actually look good them, you always have,' he remarked taking in his bandmate's Day-Glo orange outfit. Hide stopped what he was doing at Yoshi's words and quizzically cocked his head to one side.

'That's rich coming from the person who said, and I quote, "My ass was made for PVC trousers" unquote,' he laughed.

Toshi, Pata and Heath who had all been listening burst into laughter at their bandmate's droll impersonation. Even Yoshi managed to crack a smile although at that moment his makeup artist was busy painting his lips with a soft, nude lipstick.

'Baka,' he said his expression taking the sting out of his insult. Hide sat down next to him.

'What's the matter Yoshi,' he asked putting a comforting hand on the drummer's shoulders, 'usually you aren't so down on your looks.' He smiled as he pushed back a lock of pink hair, 'I mean…it's hardly something I expect from a man who published a book of himself entitled NUDE.'

Yoshi nodded briefly at his makeup artist who told him she was done before turning his attention back to the guitarist.

'That was all makeup and good photography,' he said dryly. 'Its not that Hide….I am happy with who I am, looks-wise and everything else, its just that lately….' he hesitated and then added the next bit as casually as he could, 'I've been wondering if its enough.'

Hide shook his head.

'If you could only see yourself through our fan's eyes, that feeling would go away in an instant,' he gently squeezed his shoulder, knowing it wasn't wise to press him further when he was in this type of mindset. Yoshi took great pride in seeming almost effortlessly capable at doing everything and even his bandmates knew their boundaries around him.

'Hide-san,' he looked up at the mention of his name, 'would you like me to do yours now,' she asked.

'Yeah sure,' he sat back as she rummaged around in her makeup kit.

'Only then perhaps,' Hide added in his mind as he glanced at his friend's sitting form, 'you would see a man so beautiful he takes your breath away. Most people I know would kill to have half your looks.' It wasn't an exaggeration; it was just the way it was.

It seemed like everything about Yoshi was exquisitely made from the slender line of his shoulders to the delicate bones of wrists to his long tapered fingers. His features were fine, framed by two long bangs that he kept tucked behind his ears. His hair which until a while ago had been almost totally blonde, wavy and fell past his shoulders was now streaked and bleached a pale burnished copper brown, cropped so it brushed his earlobes. Just mere makeup couldn't account for all of that. 

However any idea of fragility disappeared the minute he took his seat behind the drums, playing them with such frantic energy that didn't seem to wane even after two hours. He played so hard it looked like he might break them, hence why he was forced to wear a neck-brace.

Yet this went through another dramatic change when he stepped up to the piano. Here, he looked like he belonged, like he was born to play it, which he had been since he was four. Hands that had previously held drumsticks in a grip of iron, now glided over the black and white keys coaxing whispering melodies at the slightest touch.

A devil at the drums….an angel at the piano….a contradiction, but then Yoshi always did have an affinity for opposites.

His untamed bangs always had a habit of falling forward while performing obscuring what many people thought were his best feature, his expressive hazel eyes that showed every break and ripple in the depth of his emotions. They gleamed near green when content and dark brown when moody.

He was a loner by nature and it was public knowledge that he was often cool with just being by himself. This was where the aloof and mysterious persona that he liked to project on stage spilled over into his real life. It was his standing joke that he was never in one place long enough to have a relationship and that he would drive that person insane whenever he had a song in his head.

But lately he felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy when he saw his bandmates with their partners. Hide and Toshi had their girlfriends, Heath and Pata were always together leaving him in the middle feeling suspiciously like the odd man out….feeling…alone. It wasn't something that he was sure he was entirely comfortable with.

It didn't help that he had just gotten out of a serious relationship himself and while he had had many girlfriends and partners, there still wasn't anyone else other than his bandmates that understood his darker moments.

'But it will pass, Hide is right,' he thought vehemently to himself. The stage manager poked his head around the corner and gave them a questioning thumbs up. Yoshi nodded in response and jumped to his feet, the excitement of performing causing electricity to crackle through him. 

'You ready to go Hide?' he asked straightening the sleeves of his transparent silver shirt. Hide playfully stuck his tongue out at him.

'I was born ready,' he struck a mock pose as if he was already holding his guitar. Yoshi confidently tossed his head back.

'Right,' he said, 'lets make them scream.'

**

//Earlier that Evening//

'Ran! Omi's here…with his boyfriend,' Aya-chan chanted as she burst through the door of her brother's bedroom, eyes sparkling. 'And Ken's here to, so we're leaving after you…'

Her words halted and her sparkle faded as she saw her brother still in his dressing gown listlessly getting ready. He seemed almost dazed and didn't even seem to notice that she was in the room. She took a hesitant step forward.

'Ran,' she said cautiously, 'Ran, are you ok?'

Her voice finally pierced through the fog Aya had been wondering in causing him to turn around.

'Sorry Aya, didn't see you standing there,' he said quietly as he sat down at the corner of the bed so as not to rumple the clothes laid out on top. Aya-chan bit her lip and felt her heart sink down to her shoes at how haggard her brother looked.

'Just to tell you that Omi's waiting downstairs and that Ken and I are leaving for a movie afterwards,' she said her tone drastically different from when she had previously uttered those words.

'He was fine this morning, what could have brought on such a drastic change?' she absently glanced at the articles of clothing behind Ran and her eyes widened. 'That shirt…I've never seen it before and I buy all his fancy stuff… don't tell me it's…'

'Aya,' her brother waved his hand in front of her eyes, 'Aya..'

Her attention snapped back to her brother. 'Sorry Ran, I drifted off there for a sec.'

Aya's eyes softened as they did whenever his gaze fell on his sister. 'Its ok, just tell me Omi I'll be down in fifteen minutes,' his hand drifted up to lovingly stroke the side of her face, 'and tell Ken if he breaks your curfew again, I will run him over with the car.'

'Raaannnn,' she said pouting but Aya wouldn't be swayed. 'Don't give me that look,' he said warningly, 'now go.' She may have grumbled at his parenting ways but her eyes reflected her clear adoration for him. She dropped down and kissed him on the cheek.

'I love you,' she whispered. 'I love you to,' he echoed, returning her kiss with one of his own to her forehead.

Once she was gone, Aya's shoulders slumped as if that conversation had drained all his strength. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, the red silk of his hair fluttering softly against the backs of his hands. 

He didn't know how long he just sat there like that but a nagging voice at the back of his head kept telling him he should be getting ready. Once he had heard that voice, he knew it was right and after taking a deep breath slowly rose to his feet. He undid the belt to his robe and let it carelessly puddle on the floor as he reached for his skintight pants. 

'What do you wear to a rock concert?' he had asked himself earlier that day. His leather trousers were fine but the rest of his wardrobe seemed woefully inadequate to answer that question. He had left it till so late that there wasn't any time to go and buy anything, so he was forced to raid Yohji's closet.

He thought he could handle it, that enough time had passed for it to be alright. But the instant he stepped through the door, he realised how desperately wrong he was. Although everything was covered with white sheets and a layer of dust his mind's eye wouldn't let him forget how everything had looked or what they had shared in here. A rising feeling of hopelessness had almost choked him making him stride over to the cupboard, pull out the first shirt he saw and get the hell out of there as fast as he could.

That shirt was what he had on now. It was typical Yohji, expensive, form fitting, a deep sparkly purple ending just above his belt line. But it could have been a sackcloth and Aya wouldn't have cared. He zipped up his pants and was about to leave when he thought he heard a voice behind him.

'Your eyes Aya, they are just too beautiful not to highlight.' Aya froze and his head snapped up but no one was there. He quickly scanned the room only to confirm he was indeed alone.

'I could have sworn…..get a grip Aya,' he ordered himself, 'Yohji wouldn't come back from the dead just to offer you makeup tips now would he?'

Still he made his way to his desk and rummaged through the drawers till he found was he was looking for, a small bottle of black liquid eyeliner. Unscrewing the top, he carefully swept the fine brush just above his eyelids to the corner of his eye, his hand steady as a result of years of martial arts training. 

The black just made the violet of his eyes that more prominently exotic and gave the impression that his eyes were half-lidded and smoky. He looked, as his former lover had been fond of saying "heartbreakingly beautiful". But Aya saw none of that; all he saw was man who had seen far too much in far too little a time. He hadn't cared a penny's worth for his appearance in years since there wasn't anyone whose opinion in that department mattered to him. The only person who had cared, who he had made an effort for, was now dead.

Almost automatically he found himself reaching for a well handled Polaroid snapshot that was wedged in between the glass of the mirror and its walnut stained frame. It was a photograph taken during a trip to a funfair that they had been dragged to by Aya. In it, they had been standing at the edge of the grounds and you could just make out the Ferris wheel in the back. Yohji had an arm slung around the redhead's shoulders and Aya…for once..looked happy, the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. It was a pose that was too casual to be erotic but that was exactly what was so intimate about it.

It wasn't the best photo of them together but, Aya realised afterwards when sorting through the albums, it was the only one where he wasn't wearing a stern expression. This simple fact had pained him deeply.

'Yohji,' his throat suddenly felt thick, 'why did you leave me?'

It had been almost four years since Yohji Kudou had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, one of the most virulent forms of the disease, and two years since he had consequently succumbed. The benefit concert that he was going to tonight with Omi and his longtime boyfriend Nagi was in aid of the Japanese Cancer Association (JCA), who had helped to take care of Yohji during the latter stages of his leukemia. 

He usually gave them a large donation each year but this time they had scored a big coup in getting X Japan to play a small concert to be a telecast on TV. It wasn't open to the public, the audience would be made up of only a select few of whom the association had given tickets and Aya had been one of the lucky ones. Aya originally hadn't wanted to go but Omi had begged to since X Japan was his favourite band and the tickets were in Aya's name. 

But he admitted going to a concert was the last thing he wanted to do now. Aya felt tears threaten to fall and roughly brushed them away with the heel of his hand but more kept coming, wetting the picture.

'For God's sake don't cry, you've already gone through this once. Aren't you tired of crying?' he scolded himself. 'If anything else, it will make your makeup run.'

He let out a weak watery laugh but it was covered up by a sob. The tears were coming in earnest now wracking his thin frame.

'I'm sorry I was such an asshole to you Yohji,' the apology came out even though he didn't know what he was really apologising for.

'You weren't Aya,' a soft voice whispered in his ear. Aya's head jerked up and inhaled sharply. For through the shimmering veil of his tears, he thought he saw Yohji in the mirror's reflection holding him. He blinked and the imaged wavered. Once he had wiped his tears away, he was once more alone.

'Yohji..'

'Aya,' Omi knocked at the door, 'you alright?'

Aya caught himself and hastily grabbed a tissue. 'Yes Omi, I'll be down in a minute. Get the car out ok?' he wiped the smudges from beneath his eyes.

'Sure,' the chibi replied and Aya heard him walk away.

What had just happened? Was he seeing things, or was he finally losing his mind. Perhaps it was just the blow from being in Yohji's room for the first time in years. Of all his reasons, the latter seemed then most plausible. Glancing at the picture once more, he ran his thumb lovingly over Yohji's face before sticking it back into the frame. Grabbing his coat, he walked purposefully out the door. 

**

__

'Kagami wo mitsumenagara furueru karada ni,' Toshi crooned, looking extremely handsome in velvet trousers and matching open design velvet shirt. _'nagarehajimeta sukitooru chi wo aojiroi omae no kokoroni…karamase genkaku ni kieteyuku saigo no namida wo….hiroi atsumete chi no umi ni madoromu..' _

__

'Weekend,' he sang in a lilting tone as Yoshi accompanied him on the piano. After he played the last note, he went back to the drums and quickly put on his neck-brace. Picking up his drumsticks he increased the tempo in accordance with the faster part of the song. His agile hands seemed to be in two places at once playing so fast that they looked like blurs. But it was clear from the ecstatic expression on his face how much he was enjoying himself; not even his previous neck injury could diminish that.

The benefit had been their record company's idea but the band were more than happy to help out in the name of charity. Although small, the crowd was still extremely infectious in their enthusiasm and so far things had gone on without a hitch.

'Yoshi, Forever Love next,' he heard a tinny voice in his earpiece say as "Weekend" finished. Disentangling both the earpiece and the brace, he pushed back his damp fringe as he grabbed a bottle of water on the way to his trademark clear grand piano.

'For everyone here and everyone watching at home, thank you so much for supporting this event. Without all you this wouldn't have been possible,' Toshi bowed, 'We thank you and the Japanese Cancer Association thanks you.'

Hide, who was sitting at the foot of the piano, shot a knowing grin towards Yoshi that he reciprocated. That was why they always let Toshi do the talking, he always knew the exact right words to say. Yoshi turned his attention back to the piano in front of him and started to play the opening chords to "Forever Love".

__

'Mou hitori de arukenai,' Toshi sang softly, his hand on his heart, _'toki no kaze ga tsuyosugite..'_

As the music swept over him, Yoshi would look up from time to time to smile at the audience. It was good showmanship after all. Amidst the swaying crowd cloaked in semi-darkness, a redheaded youth suddenly caught his eye. He was standing just behind the railing at the very corner of his line of vision.

He stood out from the crowd for Yoshi not only because of his extraordinary colouring but also because he was the only one not hypnotised by the music. He just stood there, his arms by his side with a look of irrevocable despair in his amethyst eyes. The phrase 'the man with the sad eyes' leapt to his mind.

'Why are you in such pain? It cant be just be the song,' Yoshi thought.

'Yoshi,' Hide hissed, 'wrong bar!' Yoshi startled and cursed under his breath before switching to the right one. He did it so quickly that nobody had realised he had very nearly made a mistake. When he turned to look again, the man had been swallowed up by the crowd but his image still lingered in the drummer's memory.

'Who are you?' he asked himself.

The rest of the song went perfectly and soon all of the band were at the front of the stage taking their bows before dashing backstage for a quick change. After the camera had stop rolling, all five of them came out from the back to mingle with the small audience. Some of them were children whose parents were great contributors but mostly it was made up of beneficiaries of the association.

A crowd of them rushed forward as soon as they stepped out, eyes shining as they asked for autographs which they obliged and took time to chat with them as well. They warmed up to Hide especially who had changed out of his PVC suit to a more inconspicuous coloured top and jeans but whose smile was still as cheeky. But Yoshi who was now clad in a subdued black shirt, was anxiously looking for his violet eyed stranger. As people began the scatter, he finally saw him standing at the exit and hurriedly started to make his way there only to be was stopped by a snow-haired gentleman. The president of the JCA, Sekine Maasaki.

'Hayashi-san, thank you very much. It was a big success,' he heartily shook Yoshi by the hand. 'It was nothing,' Yoshi replied carelessly, 'now if you excuse me..'

'It is a big deal Hayashi-san,' he boomed, 'you have no idea how much this will help us. Last year it wasn't anywhere as close to being as popular as this, why I remember…'

What else could Yoshi do except smile and nod politely although inside he was jumping up and down in frustration. For as Masaaki went on, he felt any chance of him meeting the redhead rapidly slipping away. 

Sure enough by the time he had gotten to the door, his stranger was long gone.

*****


	2. Part II

Author's Note: Thank you to Lady_Kickass and Inga for reviewing the first part of this fic ^_^ glad you liked it so far. Here's part two and I always welcomg feedback and constructive criticism ^_~

Read, enjoy and have a nice day!

***

//Two Days Later//

'Whoever invented early Monday mornings should be dragged out by his ass and shot,' Toshi thought, letting loose a jaw-cracking yawn as he stumbled down the stairs of Yoshi's house. 

He was staying here for a couple of days while his own place was being painted and his girlfriend was out of town visiting relatives. But, he wasn't complaining he admitted. It gave him a chance to relive his younger, wilder days when X Japan would stay out boozing till dawn and pull the _weirdest _shit. Staying with Yoshi almost, if not always guaranteed that he'd have a wicked time but was murder on his sleep patterns though. 

So you can imagine how surprised he was to find Yoshi reading quietly at the dining table, a smoking fag between his fingers and the remains of a Continental breakfast in front of him. And judging by the handful of crushed cigarette butts in the crystal ashtray, he had been there for a while. Toshi's eyebrows lifted almost to his hair. 

'What the hell are you doing up?' he said bluntly, pulling up the chair next to him. Yoshi didn't even flinch at his friend's tactless question.

'Good morning to you to sunshine,' he replied sarcastically, not lifting his eyes off what he was reading. 'Is it a crime to be awake?'

'For you it is,' Toshi said reaching for the stainless steel coffeepot, 'getting pigs to fly fighter jets is a miniscule task when compared to getting you out of bed after an all night bender.'

Yoshi bit his lip, Toshi had a point. 'I had some work to do,' he answered instead, rather reluctantly Toshi thought. The drummer tossed aside the sheaf papers he had been reading before reaching for another one from the pile in front of him. Toshi looked at it with interest.

'What's all this?' he asked flipping through the stack. Yoshi grabbed it away from him so fast Toshi almost got a paper cut.

'Nothing,' he said testily. But before Yoshi had snatched it away completely, Toshi had just managed to catch a glimpse of the letters 'JCA' in thin red type at the top of the page. 

'Your looking for him aren't you?' he asked straightforwardly, never one for beating round the bush, 'your phantom stranger from that night.' Yoshi briefly thought about denying it but then gave a resigned sigh.

'Yeah.' It was pointless to keep anything from Toshi who had known him since kindergarten. Toshi folded his arms, uncertain as to how to approach the subject.

'I don't get it Yoshi,' he finally said, more concerned for his friend than simply curious, 'this is really not like you. Why is finding this guy so important?'

'Because..' Yoshi felt himself falter, 'because….'

'What are you going to say Yoshiki?' he could hear a mocking voice from the back of his head ask him. 'That you can't stop thinking about him? That the look in his eyes haunts your dreams? Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life. Tell him and pretty soon men in white coats are going to come for you.'

Inwardly, he gave himself a grim smile.

'I can see the headlines now…."X Japan star committed for believing in love at first sight and consequently becomes a stalker".

'Yoshi? Yoshiki?' he heard Toshi call his name twice, the look on his face telling him that he had been waiting a while for him to answer.

'I just…do Toshi,' it wasn't the best explanation but it was the most honest one he could give at the moment, 'I just do.' Toshi sighed and ran a hand through his mussed hair.

'Then I guess you'd better hand me a couple of those. If you insist on finding this person, the very least I can do is to help you,' Toshi said offering his hand. Yoshi gave the vocalist a grateful look.

'Thank you Toshi,' he pinched about an inch off the pile and handed it to his friend. Toshi frowned as he leafed through the clipped pages.

'God there's a lot to get through. But surely there weren't that many people at the benefit that night?'

'I know what you mean,' Yoshi said grinding his cigarette into the ashtray before reaching for another. 'I actually did ask for the particulars of those who were only present that night, but I think the guy at the JCA misheard me and sent me all of the JCA's publicly listed contributors and if you don't mind me saying,' he threw the stapled papers down with a thwap, 'there a fucking lot of them.'

Toshi bit into a piece of toast and started thumbing through what Yoshi had given him. They read silently for a few minutes until Yoshi heard vocalist take a sharp intake of breath.

'Is this him?' he asked pushing the sheet over to his bandmate. Yoshi had only to take one look to know that Toshi had found him. There was no mistaking it, deep red hair and purple eyes that here, stared sternly out of the picture. He glanced at particulars at the bottom.

'Ran Fujimiya,' he read out loud.

His stranger had a name

***

//Wednesday//

'Good morning you two,' Omi greeted as he came round from the outside and into the sibling's kitchen.

'Good morning Omi,' Aya-chan returned the blonde's greeting with as much cheerfulness as he had. Aya on the other hand just glared at Omi over the tops of his wire framed reading glasses.

'Doesn't Nagi ever cook you breakfast,' he remarked flatly. Aya-chan nudged her brother sharply.

'Ran!' But Omi just laughed.

'Nagi's more a lover than a cook,' he said cheekily, 'and anyway, he had to go to work early today, something about a video conference. Besides, Aya-chan makes great breakfast.' He appreciatively eyed the simple spread of rice, pickles, soup and sweet omelet.

'Hmph,' Aya replied as he started to sort through his mail. It was mostly bills, which he would deal with later but mixed in with the murky brown envelopes; a mint green one caught his eye. It looked so out of place that even Omi noticed.

'What's that Aya-kun?' he asked pouring himself some green tea. Frowning slightly, the redhead slit open the envelope and out fell a couple of rectangles of stiff card, which Omi pounced on.

'Tickets?' His cobalt blue eyes grew impossible wide. 'Its for X Japan's concert in Kyoto!'

He turned to Aya who looked just as surprised as he was. Extracting the letter, he scanned it quickly looking for an explanation.

'Congratulations……your presence at the benefit automatically qualified,' he read out loud what he thought was of any significance, '…two tickets to see X Japan perform in Kyoto, Friday the 12th of December. You will also get a chance to meet the band afterwards.'

'That's wonderful Ran,' Aya-chan said excitedly clapping her hands together. Her brother on the other hand looked doubtful. 

'I don't remember any mention of this,' he said, clearly skeptical, 'I'll call them later to make sure.'

'Well it certainly looks genuine enough,' Aya-chan suddenly sat down next to him. 'Ran, if it is real…could you let Ken and me have the tickets, please,' she pleaded, 'I mean… you've already seen them once.'

Omi grinned at her cajoling ways, he had acted pretty much the same to convince Aya the first time around. Her argument made sense, he didn't think Aya would want to go all the way to Kyoto just to see a band he whose concert he had just been to. And he knew Aya hardly ever denied his sister anything. But his reply took Omi aback 

'No Aya,' Aya said shortly. Aya-chan's mouth fell agape

'But…but Ran...'

'Its not that I don't trust Ken. Its just that this looks suspicious,' Aya tried to soften his refusal to let her go but his sister wouldn't be consoled. 'I'll go and check it out myself.'

'And that's final Aya,' he said his tone leaving no room for argument, 'now, isn't almost time to open the shop?' 

Closing her mouth with a snap and her face as dark as thunder at being dismissed, Aya-chan flounced out of the kitchen to the shop below, but not without slamming the door behind her making Omi wince. 

'She's pretty upset,' he said pointedly to the redhead. Aya blanched a little.

'She'll get over it, but I can risk it being a trap. You above all people should know that,' he absentmindedly rubbed his finger over the holographic foil of the tickets. 'This maybe a stupid question but, would you like to come with me?'

The younger boy grinned. 'You don't have to ask me twice.' He tried to lighten his friend's mood by joking, 'maybe I'll succeed in turning you into a rabid X Japan fan this time.'

'Don't be silly,' Aya said witheringly but then fell quiet. 'That man...,' he began haltingly, 'the drummer... he looks... he looks like Yohji.'

'Yoshiki?' Omi blinked at first but then mulled over what Aya had said. 'Now that you mention it, yes a little but Yohji-kun wasn't that pretty.'

'No, he wasn't,' Aya said softly, fondly at the memory. Omi felt his heart ache with pity for his friend. In a way he could understand how Aya felt, he would have been the same if he ever lost Nagi. But still….

'We'll I've got to go,' he got to his feet. 'Don't get to down okay Aya-kun?' he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

But one look told him it was too late; Aya's eyes had become dark and cloudy. Omi sighed and closed the door behind him, leaving Aya to his reminiscences.

Aya remembered…..

****

Aya and Yohji had met when they had been assassins for rival organisations in Kyoto. In fact when they had first laid eyes on each other, they'd tried to kill each other. Well, more like Aya was about to take out Yohji's boss when the blonde intervened.

It was the first of many encounters and Yohji could not help but harbour a grudging respect for his skilled rival that grew every time they met. So it was no wonder that when the order came down to terminate Aya completely, he was reluctant to do so. What had surprised him though was how his heart had sank at the news.

They had battled in an abandoned warehouse; both of them so equally well matched that neither could gain the upper hand. It wasn't until a fatal slip on the redhead's part allowed Yohji to snare him in his garrote, but his hands hesitated in tightening the wire. It was only then that Yohji realised that somehow….somewhere along the line, he had fallen in love with his archenemy.

But he knew what he had to do, this was his job, his feelings were off no importance. However he couldn't stop himself from asking the redhead why he wanted to kill him. Aya could still remember his reply…..it was…. 'Because they ordered me to.'

This revelation made Yohji's hackles rise immediately and his suspicions were confirmed when a loud explosion went off above them. It rocked the walls and destroyed the main support pillar causing the roof to start caving in on them. Quick as a flash he retracted his wire and without thinking, grabbed the lapels of Aya's coat and hauled him towards the nearest window. But their escape was hampered by an injury to Aya's leg, so without thinking twice the blonde lifted him over his shoulder and crashed them both through the lead glass.

He did this not a moment to soon as the building exploded behind them, hurtling them like projectiles through the air causing them to land about 20 feet from the crumbling building. Although the both were badly shaken, Yohji still had the presence of mind to drag Aya into the surrounding woods, out of sight. 

'Those fucking son-of-a-bitches!!' Yohji had raged after he had made sure everything vital was still attached. 'Just wait till I get my hands on them!! What the fuck were they thinking trying getting rid of me…'

'Why?' Aya had quietly asked. Yohji stiffened and turned around.

'What do you mean…_why?_' he said caustically, 'they tried to fucking kill us, after all we did for them. We can't let them think they can get away with it…'

'Why not?' Aya said flatly nursing his injured leg, 'let them think we're dead…..that way…we're free.'

Those two words made Yohji pause mid-rant. As his current situation dawned on him, he turned to the redhead a half grin plastered across his face.

'You've got a point,' he said as he sat down next to him. 'Here let me take a look at that…Aya? It is Aya, isn't it?' Yohji carefully cradled the smooth calf in his hands. Aya glared at him.

'Yes, but I can take care of this,' he snapped at the blonde but the next minute his expression changed. 'Why….why did you save me?' he asked softly, so softly that Yohji had to strain to hear.

'Because..' Yohji swallowed, _'I think I'm in love you,_' he said in his head not daring to voice it for fear that the man think him insane. 'Just because,' he finished lamely. At Aya's piercing stare he haughtily added, 'I don't have to explain myself to you.'

'Hmph,' was Aya's one word reply.

'So,' he pulled out a pack of smokes before leaning back against the same tree that Aya was propped up on, 'where are we going to next?'

Aya frowned. 'We? What do you mean by we?' he said curtly.

'Well we are kindda in the same boat, don't you think we should help each other out?' his green eyes flashed good-naturedly.

Against his better judgment Aya found himself saying, 'I've got a safehouse. You can stay there until you're healed as a thank you for saving me, but no longer,' he gave him a look that promised uncertain amounts of pain if the blonde dared to outstay his welcome.

'I promise,' Yohji said smoothly crossing his fingers behind his back.

The safehouse turned out to be a florist's shop situated in the quiet part of Tokyo run by his sister, who to Yohji's surprise was also called Aya. Aya, or more accurately Ran, had done such a good job of hiding her that even his former employee's didn't know she existed. To be more precise, Omi had done a good job of hiding her right down to wiping out their family records.

Yohji, Aya was annoyed to find, charmed his way into her heart almost immediately. But he was even more annoyed to find that he was actually jealous of the attention he gave her. Days passed and Yohji didn't seem to be leaving, if anything he seemed to be making himself more comfortable. 

Still there would be times when he would announce out of the blue that he was going and Aya wouldn't know how to feel. A part of him was happy to finally be rid of the smoking playboy while the other part scrabbled for an excuse for him to stay. Regardless, he always breathed easier when Yohji's plans always seemed to mysteriously fall apart.

This had continued until one day, tired of the emotional roller coaster he seemed to constantly be on; Aya had ordered Yohji to get out. 

Yohji's response? 

To pin Aya to the wall and kiss him breathless.

It was then….he knew.

So after years of living from day to day, Aya and Yohji had found peace, which they didn't even know they had been craving for. It wasn't always smooth sailing, they had their share of spats and fallout's, at times almost coming to blows but in the end the one thing that they were sure off in their lives, was that they would always be there for each other.

Then the bruises started appearing.

They were barely noticeable at first. Unexplainable gashes and marks that never seemed to fade. Soon Yohji stopped wearing his customary revealing clothing and insisted they make love with the lights off but he had glibly brushed off any concerns Aya had. As time went by, he got paler and thinner, causing Aya to be almost sick with concern yet Yohji still denied any existence of a problem. They fought more than usual until Aya, feeling rebuked, had just let him be. 

Till one day, he collapsed in the shop and had to be rushed to the hospital. There the doctors told Aya what his boyfriend had tried so hard to conceal.

He had been enraged at Yohji and asked him why he hadn't told him. Didn't he trust him enough? He shouted. Yohji just gave Aya a sad look and said.

'I didn't want you to miss me.'

Aya had broken down after that, crying openly in the blonde's arms as Yohji tried to comfort him not realising that his own cheeks were wet from his own tears.

From that day on Yohji never left the hospital and Aya only left when it was absolutely necessary. There would be days when Yohji would be strong enough to get up and walk around. He would flirt with all the nurses while he and Aya would make love in the narrow hospital bed at night. 

Then there were days when he could barely lift his head of the pillow, his jade eyes listless and devoid of its usual sparkle. His depression got worse when his hair started falling out as a result of a last ditch effort to use chemotherapy. He didn't even want to let Aya him see him after that as he had always been proud to the point of being vain about his appearance. But in Aya's eyes nothing had changed, he was still the Yohji he had fallen in love with. 

Three months later, Yohji lapsed into a coma.

Aya had spent the days after that holding his hand, scolding him, threatening him, begging him not to leave. Even the nurses who had seen this happen before wept a tear for his pain. 

Then one still day in June, while Aya was brushing back what remained of his blonde hair, Yohji's lips twitched upwards in beckoning smile. When Aya had leaned over to kiss him, he felt a warmth infuse him as if Yohji was trying to reassure him.

Shortly after that incident, Yohji Kudou passed away at the age of 26.

It seemed to Aya that he had spent the better part of the following two years in anger. The thing was he didn't know who he was angrier with, Yohji for not telling him sooner or himself for not noticing till it was too late. Grief clung to him like a fog making it unbearable for anyone, even his sister, to be around him. 

Eventually Aya did return to his normal way of life. Not because he wanted to, but because he was expected to. Mourn and move on. Don't live in the past. Cliches that Aya took as gospel.

Because grief lessens….doesn't it?

****

//Friday//

'Right this way,' a heavily built man in a well-cut suit escorted Aya and Omi backstage to the Green Room. The room wasn't actually green; it was just a nickname christened to the room that interviews were held in. This particular room was in fact painted puce.

'Please help yourselves,' he said gesturing to a covered table that held stacks of sandwiches, tea, beer and what seemed like an endless number of Evian bottles. He then closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them completely alone. 

'That was better than last time dont you agree Aya-kun?' Omi asked still exhilarated and almost bouncing off the walls. Aya smiled accommodatingly, it was times like this that he was reminded of how young Omi was.

'It wasn't bad,' he admitted as they sat down on the plush mustard coloured couch. 'But then that's hardly surprising. More people, better atmosphere.' 

It was at that moment the door swung open and in breezed a shock of pink that was Hide followed closely by the rest of the band. His eyes lighted up as they fell on the two of them.

'Hi, you must be the guys who won that contest. I'm Hide,' he introduced himself with a flourish. Yoshi shared a small smile with Toshi. It never ceased to amaze all of them how Hide just by himself managed to fill the entire room with his personality. 

'Ran Fujimiya.….but people call me Aya,' Aya said politely shaking his hand. Omi however was more than a little star-struck and seemed incapable of speech, so Aya had to nudge him a little. Omi caught himself and swallowed hard.

'Omi Tsukiyono,' he finally answered, his smile threatening to crack his face. Toshi stepped forward.

'I'm Toshi,' the vocalist said kindly. 

'Heath..'

'Pata..'

The introductions came fast and furious until finally it was Yoshi's turn. He wiped his suddenly damp palms on his jeans before offering them to the redhead.

'Yoshi,' he said calmly although his pulse had suddenly quickened.

'Aya.' Up close he was even better looking than Yoshi remembered. His hair was a splash of crimson against his pale skin, short save for the two long silky strands before his ears. Those eyes that had previously captivated Yoshi were unmistakably amethyst set against near perfect features. Eyes that were now looking at him with interest causing him to feel a little self-conscious

On Aya's part, although relieved that Omi had been right about Yoshi bearing only passing resemblance to his former lover, was still struck by how handsome X Japan's drummer was.

'So, how was the trip up?' Hide asked plopping himself next to Omi, beer in hand while rest of X Japan, save Yoshi, got something to eat.

As they chatted quietly, Yoshi tried to start a conversation with the redhead but was at a loss as what to say. Inwardly, he cursed. This opportunity had cost him two front row tickets and a bottle of expensive sake, for each of his bandmates….the bastards had insisted….so he wasn't about to waste it. But it seemed like his mouth had turned to cotton.

'Did you enjoy the show?' he finally asked, choosing the safe option.

'It was a good, I was quite amazed that I enjoyed myself.' At Yoshi's questioning glance, he elaborated. 'I'm not that big a rock fan. I usually prefer something subtle.'

'I can understand that, rock is anything but subtle and even I get sick of it at times.' Secretly, he was pleasantly surprised at Aya's frankness, usually people bent over backwards to agree with him. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered it to Aya. 

'Really?' Aya said disbelievingly before declining his invitation. 

'Truthfully, I like anything that sounds nice to my ear,' he blew out a stream of smoke and smiled, pushing his hair that was still damp from perspiration and the water that Toshi had liberally poured over him, back in an endearing gesture. Aya could hardly believe this was the same person who, only an hour earlier had thrashed his own instruments.

'You work with computers!' they heard Hide suddenly say. 'You've got to take a look at my laptop then. I just bought the bloody thing and for some reason its gone completely balls up,' he jiggled Omi's arm in his excitement

'I wouldn't mind taking a look at it.' Actually Omi was thrilled to be looking at it. 'What's the exact problem?'

Hide rolled his eyes. 'The stupid thing keeps freezing and giving me error messages.'

'The 'blue screen of death' we call it,' Omi chuckled but then his face fell, 'Oh but all my stuff is back in Tokyo.'

'No problem, we'll be back there tomorrow.' Hide said dismissively. 'Or better yet, you take it back with you tonight and you give it back to me at my party tomorrow night.'

'Party?' Omi looked a little blank but then realisation dawned. 'Oh, its your birthday tomorrow isn't it Hide-san?'

Hide vigorously nodded his head. 'Yeah and Yoshi has graciously agreed to throw me a party at his house.' Heath, who had been quiet up to now, suddenly laughed.

'Gracious? Maybe forced is a better word,' the bassist teased.

'Ignoring him….please say you'll come,' he gave the boy his trademark killer smile before looking up at his friend. 'I'm sure Yoshi doesn't mind.'

'We wouldn't like to intrude..' Aya began but Yoshi interrupted.

'You wouldn't be…please,' Yoshi unexpectedly placed his hand on Aya's wrist making him jump a little. His first instinct was to pull away but his skin tingled beneath the musician's warm palm.

'I…. I don't mind,' he finally said, trying to sound as unaffected as possible by Yoshi's touch. Omi simply smiled.

'What time you want us to be there?'


	3. Part III

Author's Notes: Firstly, sorry, sorry so sorry for not updating sooner * scratches head sheepishly *….. been busy trying to pack and finish this story at the same time. I hope everyone likes it :)

Read, please review and enjoy! 

PS: Read all the way to the bottom and the review section…you'll understand why…

*** 

`Toshi? Toshi…where are you? Hide wants to…' Yoshi pushed open the door to the guest bedroom but stopped when he realised that it was currently being used by a famous rock star and his girlfriend. 

`Sorry!' he apologised quickly shutting the door but his lips twitched as he suppressed a smile. He walked quickly along the landing continuing his search but now being sure to knock loudly before attempting to enter any room. However each time he came up with nothing to show for his efforts and it was really starting to piss him off. 

`In a house this big, he could be anywhere,' he muttered under his breath. However that was exactly what he had loved about this house in the first place. His home was the very epitome of spacious minimalist design, a marriage of pristine angular white walls and modern black patent leather furniture. It was his haven, situated at the very fringe of Tokyo's metropolis, where he went to get away and disappear. 

However these days he was home less and less as X Japan seemed to be constantly touring, doing promotions or at the studio recording new material. It was so spotlessly clean that you would have been forgiven for thinking that it was a showroom, only the various awards and pictures on the walls showing that someone actually lived there. 

From the landing, you were treated to a complete view of the foyer, which was normally empty save his gleaming black grand piano. Now however it was full to the brim, with people even spilling out onto the lawn despite the chilly weather. In the center of all that stood Hide, dressed in eye catching designer turquoise, the slightly tipsy sparkle in his eyes telling Yoshi that he was definitely enjoying himself, which made the drummer pleased. 

`At least he's happy,' he winced a little as he caught a glimpse of himself in the hallway mirror. As a sort of extra birthday present to him, the rest of X Japan had agreed to dress up the way he wanted….a decision they had all swiftly come to regret. 

`Actually, I got off easy,' he thought ruefully looking down at the ensemble that Hide had picked for him. He had on leather trousers that were so tight that it was a minor miracle he was even able to breathe. It was held together by panels of transparent black fabric running the entire length of the sides revealing to the world that the drummer wasn't wearing underwear in any shape or form. His shirt was delicate handmade lace and the ends of his coloured hair feathered with wax so that it softly framed his face. His eyelids were coloured translucent cobalt blue and his lips painted a luscious shade of plum. 

However in all honestly, the look wasn't that drastically different from what he had previously worn on stage. But his outfit paled in comparison to what Toshi was wearing, or more accurately what Hide _made_ him wear. Hence why he was looking for him, the vocalist was hiding. 

`There you are!' he exclaimed finally spotting him in the gym, `Come downstairs, Hide wants to show you off.' But the vocalist just stubbornly shook his head. 

`I am NOT some prize pony to be paraded around Yoshi!' he protested hotly, the blood rushing to his cheeks. Yoshi sighed, only the slightest bit exasperated at his friend. Actually he could understand Toshi's awkwardness, for even when X Japan were all about Glam he always tended to be a touch conservative. Yoshi always had to push him to choose more daring outfits that were in keeping with their image and even then it was an uphill battle. And he had certainly never worn something like this before, which even Yoshi thought borderlined obscene. 

Instead of trousers he had on lacy patterned leggings his modesty preserved only by a pair of vinyl hotpants, matched with what Hide had called `smack-my-bitch-up' boots. Over it, he wore a heavily embroidered floor length blue jacket held closed by a single button at his navel. His normally dark hair was now bronze thanks to the aid of temporary hair colour and glittery blue-black eyeshadow along with dark cherry red lip-gloss completed the look. 

`Why the hell did I agree to…' 

`Because it's his birthday and we all promised,' Yoshi interjected tugging at his arm but Toshi was surprisingly strong when he wanted to be. Seeing that his friend was definitely not budging, he sighed and said. 

`Look, Heath and Pata have more to be self-conscious about that you and they're out there,' Yoshi pointed out. The drummer had him by the balls there Toshi begrudgingly admitted. 

For them Hide had picked almost identical outfits consisting of embellished jeans, tailored shirts, leather vests and lots of silver jewelry differing only in the colour of their shirts, with the bassist wearing blue and Pata wearing red. It was a nod that was as good as a sly wink from the guitarist in regards to their relationship. 

`Fine!' Toshi stormed out into the landing but still unused to the boots, caught his heel on the thick white carpeting and almost fell headlong down the stairs if he hadn't quickly gotten hold of the banister. Yoshi instantly burst out laughing stopping only when the vocalist glared at him. 

`Just WAIT! Hide is going to regret he ever…,' Toshi trailed off as he saw Yoshi look over the banister, staring as if transfixed at something at the door. He followed Yoshi's eyes and saw Omi and Aya just coming through the door. To be more precise, Yoshi's gaze rested on Aya who was dressed in gunmetal silk, the classic colour a foil for his unconventional looks. 

A flicker of concern crossed the vocalist's face; it worried him actually this hold that this man seemed to have over his friend. Yoshi for all his mystery when performing, possessed an extremely down to earth, no-nonsense personality that delighted and disappointed fans in equal measure when they met him. Interestingly enough, Aya's personality mirrored that of Yoshi's stage one, aloof and sensual without meaning to be. He just hoped Yoshi knew what he was getting into. 

`Lets go greet them shall we,' he said, taking hold of Yoshi's hand and pulling him down the stairs. 

At the doorway, Omi was clearly in awe of his surroundings while Aya was looking decidedly less than impressed, in fact if there were a word to describe his expression it would be wary. 

`We shouldn't be here Omi,' Aya said looking as if he would bolt out the door given the chance. Omi worried his bottom lip briefly before turning to his friend. 

`Aya-kun please don't say that. Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be in our positions? Please don't make a scene,' his eyes openly pleading with him now, the satin aquamarine shirt he was wearing bringing out their sapphire colour. It was a look that would have melted a heart of stone, unfortunately Aya wasn't so easily persuaded. 

`Omi, I don't care. I just….' 

`Glad you two could make it,' Yoshi quietly interrupted causing them both to jump rather guiltily. 

`Yoshi-san,' Omi hurriedly said, `I am sorry we are late, but Hide-san's laptop took a little longer to fix than I thought it would.' The blonde was glad to see that Aya was just standing there quietly, his eyes downcast as if not wanting to meet the drummer's. 

`Hello,' the greeting came from what appeared to be a drag queen standing behind the X Japan leader. Omi blinked, perplexed for a split second before recognition set in. 

`Toshi….san?' he said cautiously, eyes wide with astonishment. The vocalist glowered. 

`Hide..' he explained, almost snarling as he named the guitarist. 

`Did I hear someone mention me?' Hide suddenly emerged from the crowd, his eyes immediately lighting up as he spied the new arrivals. `Its wonderful you're here,' he said and without warning scooped the small blonde up in a hug, holding him so close that Omi could feel his alcohol tinged breath brush his cheek. 

`Happy Birthday Hide-san, from the both of us,' Omi said, feeling a little shy from the guitarist's spontaneous gesture but that was Hide for you, Yoshi thought fondly. It was times like this that reminded him why the rest of X Japan eventually gave in to the pink haired man. 

At that moment, his kohl-rimmed eyes happen to glance at Toshi and his mouth immediately curved up in his famous half smile. 

`Glad to see that Yoshi's jacket fits,' he said slyly. Toshi's brown eyes narrowed. 

`Asshole!' he spluttered but Hide just blew him a kiss in response. 

`You love me really,' he said carelessly before turning his attention back to Omi and Aya. `Come, let me get you a drink,' he clasped Omi's wrist and started to pull him towards the bar. 

`Shall we follow?' Yoshi said with a smile. Aya hesitated for a moment before nodding his head, after all there was no use in him just standing there like an ornament decorating the front door. 

They weaved through the crowd but never got further than a few steps at a time as people kept stopping Yoshi to make small talk. When they finally did arrive at the crowded granite topped bar, they found Omi flanked by Pata to his left and Toshi to his right. Aya got himself a Vodka and cranberry while Yoshi opted for straight up Southern Comfort but before he could even take a sip, a man dressed in smart black sidled up to him and started whispering something into his ear causing his calm expression to shift to one of irritation. 

`Fuck!' he swore slamming down his shot glass. `Excuse me,' he apologised brusquely before disappearing into the crowd. 

`Ah, the perils of being a host,' Aya inclined his head in the direction of Toshi who was nursing a bourbon on the rocks, `you get summoned the minute something goes wrong.' 

`Hmph,' Aya replied. 

This flippant gesture really irked Toshi for he considered X Japan more than just his workmates; they were his family and none so more than Yoshi. He couldn't understand how his friend could have fallen for a man who had about as much charm as a block of ice. For one wild moment, he felt like flooring him but instead just gave him a tight smile. 

`Come,' he said his tone just about civil, `I'll show you around.' 

For the rest of the evening, Aya found himself being constantly shuffled between groups of people. Some of who were nice, some of who were famous and most of who were too drunk to walk straight. But then who could hardly blame them for the alcohol flowed like a river throughout the night and he found himself drinking more than he normally would have. 

Without realising it, he found himself constantly keeping an eye open for Yoshi but was only able to catch glimpses of him in the crowd. Once Yoshi had actually caught him looking and gave him quick apologetic smile that had made the redhead flush. 

Aya would have never admitted it to Omi, but he wouldn't lie to himself and say that it hadn't crossed his mind about a hundred times throughout the course of the day about backing out of this party. But every time he decided he wouldn't go, citing a dozen very good reasons why…..an image of Yoshi would appear unbidden in his mind, those soft almost melancholic hazel eyes seemingly able to look right through him. 

And suddenly the decision didn't seem so easy or clear-cut anymore. 

* 

The crowd stared to peter out around 2:30 am, with people leaving in staggered groups mostly draped over the shoulders of their designated drivers. Toshi and his girlfriend had left a little earlier followed closely by Heath and Pata, who seemed to have only each other on their minds. It was now the birthday boy's turn to leave but not before he fell on Yoshi and gave him a bone-breaking hug. 

`That was an ab-so-lute-ly fucking blast! Sank you Yoshi,' he said, his words slurring a little as he gave Yoshi a hard kiss on the mouth which looked innocent enough but only Yoshi could feel the quiver of a tongue and a quicksilver nip of teeth. Laughing, he pushed both Hide and his girlfriend out the door and with them gone that just left… 

Yoshi started. 

Aya… 

Sure enough only Aya was present in the living room; his coat draped over his arm while he repeatedly glanced at his watch. Yoshi raised one eyebrow, clearly puzzled. 

`Where's Omi?' he asked sitting next to the redhead. 

`He got a call from work around midnight. Something about an important server breaking down so he had to go and deal with it.' Yoshi nodded his head in understanding, he recalled now seeing Omi pacing outside his cellphone pressed to his ear earlier in the night. 

`God you must think I am bad host,' he said a little shamefaced, `not noticing when one of my guest's leaves.' 

`How could you have noticed? There were hundreds of people around and you had things to attend to,' Aya said trying to sound matter of fact despite the lingering effects of the large amount of alcohol he had consumed. 

`Still,' Yoshi flicked back a lock of caramel coloured hair, `will he be coming to pick you up?' 

Aya nodded. 

`Well, until then….you want another drink?' Without waiting for a reply, Yoshi extracted a square bottle and two shot glasses from a nearby cabinet. Aya opened his mouth to protest, but his judgement that was blurred somewhat by alcohol made him decide to throw caution to the wind. 

`You'll have to settle for Tequila, it seems to be the only thing that's left,' Yoshi filled the squat glasses full to the brim with the pale gold liquid. They clinked their glasses together and simultaneously downed the potent liquid in one shot. The liquor felt thick on his tongue and made his lips tingle, its effect almost immediate. As Yoshi poured them another shot, Aya couldn't help but notice how quiet the surroundings had become; even the catering staff had gone home. 

`So is it true,' Aya suddenly queried in his deep baritone, wanting to break the silence `that in addition to playing drums and piano, composing and writing X Japan's songs, you also can also play guitar and bass?' 

Yoshi nodded. 

`Forgive me if this sounds presumptuous but,' Aya idly traced his finger around the rim of his glass, `is there anything you cant do?' 

Yoshi blinked at first and then threw his head back and laughed. 

`Well I can't sing, I'm nothing compared to Hide and I am nowhere close to Toshi's level,' he smiled behind his shot glass. 

`Sorry if I find it hard to believe that the band leader of X Japan can't sing,' Aya said skeptically. 

`I'm not a rarity, you'd be surprised how many band leaders would prefer to play rather than sing,' Yoshi said as he slid a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it. 

Aya however still didn't look convinced, so Yoshi lead him to his grand piano and sat him on the edge of the bench. He tapped his chin as he contemplated what to play and after a few minutes of deliberation, played the opening chord to _`Say Anything.'_

__

`Sawameki dake ga kokoro o sashite, kikoenai mune no toiki,' he sang in his husky tenor, _` toki o wasurete motome samayou takanaru, omoi nurashite.' _

Aya immediately winced a little. Yoshi was right, his deep voice with its rough-hewn edges was not suited to the smooth rather romantic melody, in fact he sounded a little off pitch. 

`All right, all right I believe you,' Aya said conceding defeat, `will you stop singing now.' The last statement wasn't said as an insult as Aya had a teasing half smile on his face as he said it, which caused Yoshi's breath to catch his throat. 

`See I told you,' he said hoping his voice sounded steady. `And anyway,' he added slyly, looking up at the redhead through his lashes, `how do you know I play bass and guitar?' 

Aya flushed a little at the question but still answered without missing a heartbeat. 

`Omi,' he said dryly, `he wanted to make sure that I knew everything about X Japan so I wouldn't embarrass him and played me all your songs in continuous loop.' 

`Omi,' Yoshi said casually tracing a figure of eight in the piano's highly polished surface, `is he your koibito?' The minute the word left his lips, Yoshi could have kicked himself for his artlessness. He had only meant to say boyfriend but instead lover came out. Gratefully however, Aya didn't seem to notice his slip. 

`Omi? God no, what would make you think that?' Aya said bemused, `he already has a boyfriend but I am single at the moment, why?' 

`Oh, no reason…just that you guys are always together that's all,' Yoshi said, sounding nonchalant but inside he was almost stupidly happy at the fact that the redhead was unattached. 

`Well in that case, let me ask you a question,' Aya tilted his head to the side so he could get a better look at the pianist, `is there anything between you and Toshi?' 

Yoshi returned Aya's bemused smile with one of his own. 

`The tabloids and fangirls would admittedly like there to be something, unfortunately we must disappoint them. We are just good friends, also he has a girlfriend whom you might have seen earlier,' Yoshi absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down the keys playing a nameless tune. 

Aya kept silent, the trace of wistfulness in the Yoshi's tone made him wonder whether the drummer at one point may have wanted things to be different. He looked at him out of the corner of his eye, watching as he played a scale, his shoulders slightly slumped over the keyboard. His fingers suddenly itched to brush back the strands of sand coloured hair and trace slender line of his jawbone. 

`So…do you have a favourite song?' Yoshi asked, trying to lighten the mood. Aya exhaled slowly, glad that Yoshi had spoken effectively stopping him from doing anything idiotic. 

`It would have to be _`Tears'_,' he said simply, he didn't add how well he had related to the lyrics or how they had seemed to echo his own thoughts. 

`What about _`Forever Love'_?' Yoshi kept a close eye on the redhead as he asked the question. He saw Aya's amethyst eyes instantly become shadowed with what looked like sorrow and immediately wanted to take his words back. 

`It was…it was the favourite song of someone I used to know,' Aya said quietly, `he always used to love to sing it although he himself admitted he could hardly carry a tune….' 

`Aya..' 

At the sound of his name, his lifted his head to see Yoshi's face mere inches away from his. He had been so lost in the thoughts that he hadn't notice the drummer moving closer. Slowly, almost as if he were dreaming, he saw him lift a hand to brush away a crimson eartail. 

`I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…' 

But his next words were drowned out by the loud blast of a horn from the outside, startling the both of them. Sanity and reason rapidly came back to Aya in a rush. 

`Id better go,' he said a little shakily as he gathered his things, `thank you for everything.' He practically jumped off the bench wanting to put as much distance between him and the rock star. 

`Aya, wait!' Yoshi caught his sleeve, which Aya roughly shook off. 

`What do you want Yoshi!?' he snapped, the coldness in Aya's tone shocking him but he wouldn't be dissuaded. 

`We finish the tour on Thursday, on Saturday if you're free…..would you like to have dinner with me?' Yoshi said firmly. 

Aya's breathing hitched. 

`Are you….asking me out?' he said, the ice turning into pure disbelief. 

`You don't have to answer me now,' Yoshi tore off a sheet of paper from the pad he kept on the hallway table and hurriedly scribbled something on it. `Here's my number, you don't even have to call me, just text….yes or no.' 

He knew he should have told him that what he wanted was impossible right there and then. But he took one look at the intensity in Yoshi's eyes and almost against his will he felt his own eyes soften. For a moment he sounded very much like Yohji when he was determined. Taking the piece of paper, he spun on his heel and left. 

`Hi Aya-kun,' Omi greeted cheerfully as Aya slid into the passenger seat, `sorry I'm so late, the problem turned out to be much more complicated than they let on, the bastards. God, I am going to kill them for making me miss the rest of Hide-san's party.' 

He kept talking as he pulled out of the driveway, telling Aya how everything had almost crashed and how he had gone about fixing it. It was only when they were on the highway that Omi realised that Aya hadn't said a word since stepping into the car. He frowned as he saw the strange expression on his friend's face. 

`Aya..kun? Are you ok?' he asked concerned. The blonde saw the skin of Aya's throat move as he swallowed. 

`He…Yoshi….just asked me out,' Aya said the words barely audible. 

Omi stared at him, his mouth wide open and almost drove into the steel divider if Aya hadn't caught hold of the wheel. 

`Omi,' he growled, `eyes on the road!' 

`Sorry, sorry,' he apologised forcing his gaze back to darkness that stretched before him. They drove in silence for a while until Omi, after making sure there were no other cars on the road, turned his attention back to the redhead. 

`Are you....' Omi paused tentatively, `are you going to say yes?' Aya didn't meet his eyes, choosing instead to stare out the window. 

`I don't know,' he said quietly. It wasn't the thought of the date that disturbed him, it was Yoshi. There was no use in denying it, he was attracted to him, and tonight's incident had just brought those feelings to the forefront. Although the time they had known each other had been brief, somehow the leader of X Japan had gotten to him. 

The part of him that was sensible didn't want to go any further with this, to nip in the bud whatever…_this_…..was. But the part of him that was stubborn wanted him to face it and prove to himself that his attraction to the rock star was nothing more than a passing feeling that would last as long a summer spell. 

The two sides battled, shouting their reasons to each other in his head until finally, Aya reached a decision. Taking his phone and the number Yoshi had given him out of his pocket, he flicked his fingers over the keys spelling out his reply. 

`What's your answer?' Omi asked. When Aya showed him, he bit his lip. `Are you sure?' he asked, not wanting the redhead to regret it later. 

Aya pressed the `Send' key. 

`Yes,' he said softly as he sank back into his seat. 

*** 

That night, Aya dreamt about Yohji for the first time in months. 

* 

Note: In keeping with FF.net's policy, the concluding part of this story can be found here at the address which is written in the REVIEW section of this story. Just type in the address I have listed there and email me if you have problems accessing it. 

Please review when your done thanks! ^_^ 


End file.
